Revenge
by IMPhoenix
Summary: Roxanne tricks him, humiliates him, and Megamind vows revenge. But his complicated Plan elicits unexpected reactions in both of them. Set pre-movie, AU/AR
1. Unexpected Consequences

**REVENGE**

Inspired by Glimmer by Ninnik Nishukan My story in NOT a sequel to Glimmer, and does not have continuity with Glimmer. My story stands on its own, only borrowing some basic starting plot ideas, then careens wildly off in its own bizarre direction.

PLOT SUMMARY: Roxanne tricks him, humiliates him, and Megamind vows revenge. But his complicated Plan elicits unexpected reactions in both of them. Set pre-movie, AU/AR

(Do I really have to say this? I do not own Megamind in any way, have no financial stake in the movie or characters, and this story is just for fun. Thanks, DreamWorks, for letting us play in your sandbox.)

This update was done primarily to include a pseudo link to a work or fan art inspired by this story, although I also took the opportunity to correct some typing mistakes and other errors .

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><p><strong>Chapter 1. Unexpected Consequences<strong>

He was angry. No, furious. No, make that- enraged! She had tricked him, humiliated him. It was wrong! They had an understanding, didn't they? (Even though it had never been spoken of.) He would never hurt her, surely she knew that; and she knew that he knew that she knew that. He would kidnap her and she would be the bait; but she knew it was all a game, and so she was never really frightened (except maybe the first time, but that was sooo long ago). They had a routine; they would banter and fence with words. He would pretend to menace her, and she would act brave and sassy, and they would trade clever comments. It would be fun; she had had fun, too, didn't she? Then she broke the rules, and ruined everything! And suddenly it was _shool _all over again: he getting his hopes up that he would be accepted, at least a little, maybe allowed _to play_ in the games instead of just being the _butt of them; _then being excluded or belittled or laughed at, the outcast once again. Dammit, he had trusted her, and she had hurt him. He would take his time and make a glorious, magnificent Plan, detailed, with all the possibilities examined and covered. He didn't know what he would do yet, but he would think of something. This would be his new focus. The rivalry with Metro Man had been getting tedious and boring anyway. He would now put all his energy into achieving his revahnge!

* * *

><p>Three months later:<p>

Sitting in a taxi cab on her way home, she laid her head back and closed her eyes. Really, that had been fun, well, sort of, anyway. As a local media celebrity, it was expected that she would attend charity events like this, but she didn't mind, not really. The station paid for her ticket, the food and drinks were usually pretty good, and she would get a chance to socialize with some of her colleagues from work, and sometimes meet new people. Tonight she got to spend more time with the charming professor she interviewed for that report on advances in robotics. She found him attractive, intelligent, and even rather fun, and had allowed herself to speculate about the propriety of offering her phone number. And then he'd gone and introduced her to his very attractive wife who was five months pregnant.

She sighed. It seemed like all the good men were taken, especially now that she finally had time to go out. She should be pleased to have the free time. Three months with no kidnappings. In fact, there had been no sign of Megamind at all during that time. Metro Man barely had anything to do. After years of never knowing when she would be kidnapped. Oh, certainly there was some predictability: whenever Megamind broke out of jail, or whenever there was a big citywide festival event sure to bring out a crowd and possibly the appearance of Metro Man as the guest of honor. Yes, she could pretty much count on a kidnapping then. Of course, the kidnappings also had ensured her position as a star reporter for her station, a generous bonus from the boss, and a certain amount of celebrity status. It certainly helped make her career. But she had been tired of it. She was glad it was over, wasn't she?

Except, if she was being honest with herself, there were moments, sitting bored in her apartment by herself on the weekend, that she would catch herself hoping that Minion would show up with the knockout spray, wondering what kind of outlandish plan, what ingenious new invention Megamind was devising. She would start recalling some of the interchanges they had shared, the playful banter. What was wrong with her? This was insane. Didn't she want a normal life? A normal life, like she'd had for the past two months, when she'd gotten over worrying if he was going to retaliate for the stunt she pulled. (The first month, she anxiously avoided going out except for work). Surely, if he was going to do anything, it would've happened already. She had started to relax. Yes, she had a normal life for two months, going to work, sometimes going out to dinner or lunch or the movies with a girlfriend. But there are also a lot of evenings and weekends spent by herself, alone… and lonely.

When she exited the taxi, and paid the driver, she was surprised to see Carlos, the doorman to her apartment building, sleeping. This was unusual for him. She wondered if he was ill. Still trying to decide if she should leave him alone, slip past him and let herself in, she suddenly smelled a familiar fragrance and everything went dark.

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><p>It had been harder than he expected, keeping Minion in the dark, coming up with excuses for why there were no kidnappings, no implementation of any plans to confront Metro Man. Even though ultimately he knew Minion would go along with whatever Megamind planned, he didn't want to deal with the whining, the complaining, the attempts to persuade him, and the looks. Minion was so good at getting him to feel guilty. He hated having conflicts with Minion, his only friend, almost a substitute parent as much as companion since he was an infant. He knew that Minion would not approve of his plans for Miss Ritchi. So Megamind had spoken of vague plots that required a lot of mechanical work, new devices, new types of brainbots, and major alterations to the hoverbike. He kept Minion as busy as possible while Megamind performed the necessary research and oversaw the surveillance for the Plan. The internet had a wealth of information, actually so much that it was difficult to sift through it. And some of it was so contradictory. But he persisted, and finally he decided he had what he needed. He was ready to get his revahnge.<p>

He wouldn't admit it to himself, but he was nervous. He had gotten used to Minion doing the actual kidnapping, but, he told himself, he was a criminal mastermind, a genius; surely he could handle a little kidnapping. He squirmed, remembering what had gone wrong the last time he had performed this task alone. But he wouldn't make the same mistakes again. He was prepared: new gadgets and devices, but especially, a thorough Plan, reviewed over and over in the privacy of his room.

He was ready when the woman collapsed, scooping her up in his arms quickly, and taking her to the hoverbike, with its new invisibility shield and a brace for holding an unconscious passenger. He couldn't use the car; Minion was always suspicious when he wanted to use the car without him. His new spybots, the little insect-like brainbots that could gather information without people noticing, had been invaluable in getting information about Miss Ritchi's movements. (He was so proud of his label for them. He dismissed the nagging thought that he had heard the name before. If he decided to patent them, he would let the patent attorneys sort out the name issue. He could always come up with another magnificent moniker, if he had to.) Well, there was one advantage to the hoverbike; he could get back to the new Lair faster than in the car, and it was essential to get her back to the interrogation room before she awoke.

* * *

><p>Where was she? Not at home in her bed, no, it didn't smell like home. Gradually, she became aware of touch sensation again. She was sitting in a chair. There was some pressure around her wrists, as if they were tied. Her eyes snapped open, as the thought came to her, "<em>Megamind<em>." And then the phrase "_lulled into a false sense of security_." He had done just that, hadn't he? Now, for the first time in a long time, she was afraid, really afraid. The part of her she hated, the part she called "baby" when she was young, and now labeled "damsel in distress," was rattling the door to the closet into which she had been shut years before. "_Now we're in for it! I warned you, I warned you, not to poke the tiger, not to pull that stupid stunt! You thought you were so brave, so clever. You thought you understood him so well. You never want to listen to me. But sometimes being afraid is not weak, but actually smart, because sometimes some things are dangerous!"_

_"Hush! I need to think."_ The part of her she was so proud of, the intelligent, observant, analyzing reporter pushed herself to the front of her awareness and looked around the room. She couldn't really tell how large the room was. It was dark, much darker than usual. Normally Megamind liked a lot of light; it was better for the video cameras. In fact, it was so dark she couldn't even see the walls, except that one spot near the typical console with the blinking lights. There was his usual, high backed chair. She couldn't tell if he was in it; it was turned away. She looked up, and gave a little gasp. Now the ceiling, that was different. It seemed like it was high, black, with thousands of very tiny lights, as if he was trying to imitate the starry night sky. It was actually, well, pretty.

"Good evening, Miss Ritchi." She looked back toward the console. Yes, he had swiveled the chair around, and was sitting in his usual slouched position, his fingers steepled. "It's been a long time. Did you miss me?" And then he smiled, no, smirked! He touched a switch on the console, and she was bathed in a spotlight. Launching himself from the chair, he stalked toward her. She had forgotten, hadn't thought about it in such a long time; he could be graceful. It surprised her. "We have a lot to talk about. I have done a lot of thinking since our last... encounter."

Now her heart began to race. The damsel was moaning in the closet. "_Hush! I need to think. You may be right, I think maybe he is... dangerous tonight_." There was something different about him; she couldn't put her finger on it yet. She needed more information. She straightened herself as best she could, took a deep breath, and looked him in the eye. He was approaching the pool of light in which her chair was positioned. She was going to say something, but hesitated; she was distracted by the thought, had he altered his costume somehow? What was it? She shook her head. It would come to her. _"Focus!"_ she said to herself.

Roxanne tried to take control of their interaction by inquiring, "So, what have you been doing these past three months? It's unusual for you to stay out of the limelight for so long." Megamind began to circle around her chair, slowly walking.

"Oh, the usual. Plotting, scheming, inventing. Now you, on the other hand, have had a rather quiet three months, haven't you? Lots of weekend's home in your apartment, visits to the library, a little bit of shopping at the mall, although there was that charity event tonight, wasn't there? Pity an attractive woman like you couldn't get an escort for the evening. Metro Man busy?"

Her heart began to beat faster. _"Stalker, he's a stalker,_" the damsel whimpered in her closet. The reporter ruefully thought, yes, stalkers could be very dangerous.

Then a jolt of electricity went through her arm; not literally, but it might as well have been, the sensation was so shocking. Megamind was trailing his fingers up her bare arm, across her shoulders, and down the other arm as he walked, circling, circling. "I like that dress. You look good in purple." His fingers gently grazed the ruffles at her neckline.

_"Calm down!_" she screamed at herself mentally. "_Get more information!_"

She tried to sound nonchalant. "So how soon before you expect Metro Man to arrive?"

"Hmmmm? " Megamind seemed distracted. He was still circling, stroking her arms up and down. "Oh, him; he won't be joining our little party tonight." The last said while standing behind her, both hands on her shoulders. Then he bent his face down close to her ear and whispered, "This is strictly between you... and me."

Suddenly, it hit her, what was different about his costume: he was not wearing gloves. The outfit was practically identical to his usual attire, blue and black, the spandex and leather, the cape, but there were no spikes, and no gloves. What did that mean? She thought, "_I have a bad feeling about this._"

Things were going according to Plan. He could tell that he had her off-balance, frightened; this was good. It was a little unsettling, though, the effect his actions were having on himself. This was all a little play to unnerve her. So why was he having these strange feelings? Certainly it was always a little exciting when his plans were being executed, but the excitement seemed, oh, different somehow. "_Never mind_," he told himself, "_Stay on target_."

"Just us?" She hated that there was a quaver in her voice.

He moved away from her, prowling around the room. At least he'd stop touching her; maybe she could think more clearly. Her heartbeat slowed a little.

"Yes. We need to discuss...your little... escapade... with the gun." He turned and faced her directly. He did look forbidding now. There was no smile, no playful tone. She should say something, but her mind was blank, except for the word "retribution" ringing in her head. "I will admit, I was angry at first, very angry. And quite shocked. This was not like you at all. When I finally got over being angry, I'll admit I was... intrigued. I wondered, wondered for a very long time, what it meant. Sometimes humans are so puzzling. I did research. The Internet is a wonderful thing, isn't it? But I digress. I finally realized that you were showing me that you were more than just the sweet, innocent, inquisitive reporter and hostage. Yes, I knew you were more than just clever, intelligent, observant, pretty….."

He moved closer to her, stood before her, and bending, placed his hands on her shoulders and his face into hers. She became aware of a fragrance, something spicy, she'd never noticed before. Was he wearing cologne, was this his natural scent? _"Focus,_" Roxanne said to herself. "_Pay attention, this is important._"

"I realized, Miss Ritchi, that a part of you... is evil." She was stunned. She didn't know where this was going. Megamind straightened, and began the circling again, touching her on her arms, her shoulders, lightly grazing her neck. Her head began to spin. This was crazy.

"_Get more information!_" she told herself. "What do you mean? What do you want?" she said to Megamind. The last part had slipped out unintentionally. She mentally shook herself. Basic reporting skills: ask one question at a time.

"Why, Miss Ritchi, you have more in common with me than I would've guessed. I have been accused of many things, and many of these have been correct. But you, Miss Ritchi, were …. cruel." The last word hissed, with a menacing tone. He was standing behind her, his hands on her shoulders, but this time squeezing them, just a little too hard for comfort.

The damsel was pounding on the door, panicking. _"We have to get out, we have to get out."_

"_There is no way out, except through him,_" the reporter tried to soothe her. "_We have to try and trick him, we need more information. What does he want?_"

The damsel retorted, "_Oh yes, tricking him, that worked out so well the last time. Now look where we are_!"

"_Well, it did work, at the time. We need to figure out his weakness_."

"_His weakness before was that he trusted Roxanne. I don't think we can count on that this time,"_ argued the damsel.

Megamind had worked his way around to the front of her again. He was just standing there, looking at her. His expression was…. no, that couldn't be right? He looked... hurt? Why should she feel guilty? She tried to go on the attack. "What do you mean, cruel?"

His face hardened; his voice was low. "You tricked me, smuggling a concealed weapon into my Lair during your last kidnapping. Do you even have a permit to carry a gun?"

Roxanne blurted, "It was a toy gun."

Prowling around the room again, Megamind waved his hand dismissively." I have almost no experience with your petty human weapons. You know I only use those of my own ingenious design. How was I to know? Even you must admit your gun was realistic looking."

"Well, of course, that was the idea," she said mockingly.

"The point is," he stressed, "you used it to threaten me. You tied me up, and left me. But that was not the worst, oh, no." Again he was in her face, his voice low and threatening. "You used my own video equipment, my own, and broadcast images of me, to the public. It was..." and now he turned his back on her. "You embarrassed me. You _humiliated _me," he said softly.

He hadn't meant to be so honest. He didn't want her to see the genuine anguish on his face. "_Back to the Plan_," he said to himself. He looked back at her again, his face full of fury. "Did it help the ratings?" he sneered.

He was hurt. She'd never expected anything like this; it shocked her. He had always seemed so arrogant, so egotistical, like nothing could touch him. Now she felt guilty. "_Crazy, crazy, crazy_," she said to herself. He was a villain. Why should she feel sorry for him? He was back to prowling again.

"I didn't do it for ratings," she said softly. "I just….." she trailed off. There was silence for a while.

He was standing behind her again. Quietly, he said, "Perhaps, you did it to provoke me. Perhaps, you wanted... a change in our... relationship." He was back to circling, trailing his fingers along her arms, but not as frequently, not every time.

Her mouth was dry, thoughts whirling. His changes in mood were giving her mental whiplash. "Our...r-r- relationship?" Roxanne stammered.

Again, the dismissive waving of the hand, as Megamind said, "You know, kidnapper and hostage. I'll admit, it is rather.… limiting."

"What kind of... changes… do you have in mind?" (I can't believe I'm having this conversation, Roxanne thought to herself.)

"The question is... what kind of changes... do you want, Ms. Ritchi? You are, after all, the one who provoked this." And the smile was back on his face, and there was humor in his voice, as he bent and whispered this in her ear. He was standing behind her again, and he reached up with a hand and stroked her cheek.

There was a buzzing in her head, and she thought distantly that his fingers were warmer than she expected. The reporter's inquisitive mind wondered why she had expected cool. Maybe associating the blueness of his skin with temperature. She could barely hear the damsel, whining in her closet. There were new thoughts, new feelings, being elicited in her now. _"Crazy, crazy, crazy_" she chanted in her head. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but a part of her was just a little excited by the touching. How long had it been since she'd had a relationship with a man, a relationship that permitted the little touches, something more than a chaste hug. What had she thought, so long ago, in the taxicab? All the good men are unavailable. So, what, now her only option was "a bad boy?" Well, she supposed there was Metro Man, but she'd never been attracted to him; he wasn't really her type.

"_And this blue alien is_?" the damsel was shrieking. Roxanne knew that it made no sense. He was the villain, but... in high school, and college, really, all her adult life, she'd always been more attracted to guys who were intelligent, geeky, even nerdy, the ones who were a little different, sometimes even eccentric." _What is wrong with me?"_

"_Stockholm syndrome?_" the reporter suggested.

"_I have to play along. What else can I do_?" she told herself.

Roxanne turned the question back to Megamind. Softly, she asked, "What are you proposing?"

"Let's discuss... possibilities." He walked away again toward the console, but, halfway there, turned back to her and asked, "Are you thirsty?"

Mental whiplash again. "What?" she responded.

Megamind repeated himself, "Are you thirsty? I expected this to take a while; I am prepared. There are a variety of drinks, water, lemonade, a selection of soft drinks, there's even some wine; what was the name? Oh, yes," and he mentioned something that Roxanne recognized as being in her refrigerator at home.

"Water would be fine," Roxanne replied.

Megamind walked to the console and touched a switch, and suddenly a soft light played over a table in the corner. Walking back to her, he again stood behind her chair. She felt a vibration and heard a click, and suddenly he was wheeling her to that little cloth covered table. Once there, he went to a small refrigerator, and removed a bottle of water. Again, it was a brand she knew was in her own refrigerator. "I think I'll try the wine," stated Megamind. (He thought to himself, maybe this is a little incautious, but he was feeling very confident; things were going so well. Besides, drinking wine will make him _look_ confident.)

"How do you expect me to drink with my hands tied?" Roxanne queried.

(_"Oh, very good_," said the damsel. "_I'm impressed._")

"Oh, I plan to untie you... eventually. But not just yet." Megamind placed two wine glasses on the table. Pouring a small amount of wine in one glass, he poured her water in the other.

"I could have drunk from the bottle," Roxanne murmured.

"Oh no," Megamind stated, "that would not be... nearly elegant enough." And placing one hand gently under her chin, he brought the glass to her lips with the other.

The thought crossed her mind: take a sip of water, spit in his face... no, no, no that would be really stupid! Where did that come from? "_I'm scared, which makes me angry_," answered the reporter. "_In this situation, it's probably better to... tap into... I can't believe I'm saying this... the part that is... enjoying this_."

"_Enjoying this_?" the damsel shrieked again.

"_Shut up!_" they shouted at her. Play along, right, that's the strategy.

"Thank you," she murmured. Then she was silent, waiting for him to take the lead.

Another question: "Are you hungry? I know you had dinner around 7 PM, but that was, oh, hours ago." He looked at her inquisitively awaiting her answer. (He'd been too nervous himself to eat earlier, and really wasn't all that hungry now. But it was polite to offer, and he wanted her to see him as a gentleman.)

She spluttered, "How did you know that?"

He really shouldn't, but he was so proud of his device, and to be honest, he wanted to show off a little in front of her. Moving quickly from the table to the console, he opened a drawer and took something out. The object flew out of his hand. It was so small, she could barely see it. It flew slowly, drifting more than anything else. By the time that it rested on the table 6 inches from her water glass, Megamind was already seated. He began to speak more quickly. "Notice, it looks like an insect; you'd have to look very carefully to see that it's mechanical. It can pick up both sound and image and relay it back to the Lair. I can control it remotely, and it can even operate autonomously with the proper programming." He was looking at her, eagerly, hoping to see something like approval, or amazement on her face.

Again she spluttered, "You were spying on me?"

He sat back, a little hurt, a little angry. In a truculent voice, he stated, "But of course. Reconnaissance is essential to any plan."

She watched him, the emotions flickering across his face so quickly, she almost thought they weren't there. "_The hurt before the anger, yes,_" the reporter noted, "_we can use this. He always wants to be impressive. Stroke his ego_," she directed.

Roxanne took a deep breath. "May I see it more closely?" she said gently. Hesitantly, Megamind picked it up, and held it close to her eyes. "Yes," she murmured, "very ingenious. I interviewed a professor recently, from the university, a specialist in robotics. He showed me some things, but nothing this delicate, this realistic. Quite impressive." And really, she wasn't lying: it was amazing. She didn't have to fake this. She looked into his face, and again, the emotions flickering quickly. Pride, pleasure, and something else. She would not have believed it, but he was... blushing. She could see the change of color in his ears and cheeks, not exactly pink, more lavender, or violet. For some reason, she felt herself softening toward him.

Megamind took the little spybot, and laid it further away on the table. He was a little flustered. He shouldn't care so much that she had complimented it, but he did. Where was he? Oh yes. "But you never told me; do you want something to eat?"

Roxanne found to her surprise that she was a little hungry. What time was it? "What do you have to offer?"

"Well, you have had dinner, so I assumed something more in the line of a snack or dessert. Let's see, there is pop-ped corn, brownies, shrimp with this red sauce, what was the name? Oh yes, cocked –tail sauce. (I've never had it, but I understand you like it.) What else? Cheesecake with strawberries, I like that. Potato chips, pretzels, Doritos. (Minion really likes those, so we always have them around). Does anything sound appealing? " The eagerness in his voice was really rather... sweet.

Quite against her will, she was... impressed again. He really had gone to a lot of trouble. Wait a minute... her brand of wine, her brand of water, all the snacks, mostly things she's liked. The fear was bubbling up inside her, but also anger. "Have those things been in my apartment? Have YOU been in my apartment? Spying on me in MY apartment!"

He was bewildered by her questions."But I already told you that you have been under surveillance. You have been my focus of study these last few months. I wanted to understand you. You would never have consented to answer my questions. Minion, even in a disguise, is not always clever enough to remain unnoticed. I am much better at keeping my identity secret while in disguise, but a stranger asking your co-workers and friends direct questions? That would never do. It would draw... unwanted attention. The spybots were a more discreet way of gathering information."

Then her exact words, her tone, the anxious but irritated look in her face, made a connection in his brain. Megamind suddenly looked embarrassed. "Oh, no. I've never been in your apartment; that would have been unnecessarily risky. And let me reassure you that the spybots were carefully programmed to stay out of your bedroom and bathroom. I would never invade your privacy that way." (Roxanne suspected he had no idea of the irony of that statement, but kept that thought to herself.) "Oh, by the way, I learned that you had been telling the truth: you really aren't dating Metro Man. But back to the point: what would you like to eat?"

Maybe eating something would help her think. "Let's start with a brownie." She liked chocolate; chocolate was always good. "Still would be easier to eat with my hands untied."

"Not necessary. Maybe... later." He placed a brownie on one plate, and a slice of cheesecake on another. He picked up a fork, broke off a small piece of the brownie and held it to her lips. Whoa, he was going to feed her. This was... different.

"_Play a long,_" she sternly told herself. She took it in her mouth. Amazing, it was wonderful. She couldn't help smiling. She watched him feed himself the cheesecake, fortunately using a different fork. "That's quite good," she offered.

"I'll tell Minion you said so," Megamind replied. "He made it from scratch. He's really quite a good cook. But the cheesecake, that's takeout. He can't quite do cheesecake. It's from that little Italian restaurant on Amberly Street."

"Do they deliver?" Roxanne said with a smile.

"Ha, Ha. No, of course I send Minion to do pick up. And before you say anything, of course, he goes in disguise. I wouldn't expect the staff to remain calm and do their jobs if a robotic gorilla with a fishbowl head showed up."

She couldn't help herself, the image made her laugh.

She laughed, he'd made her laugh. He felt warm inside; he liked doing that. He slowly fed her the brownie, and offered her sips of water. He asked her questions, such as what restaurants she liked; and she asked about Minion's cooking, whether Megamind had ever gone to a restaurant in disguise. (The answer, only a few times; it made him too nervous, he couldn't relax.) When they were done with their dessert, he put the dishes away; she couldn't see where. He asked, "Are you sure you don't want some wine?"

(_Play along_.) "Sure, why not?" After he poured the wine into her glass, she tentatively suggested, "It really would be easier, and more... enjoyable, if I could drink the wine myself. Why don't you untie my hands? My feet would still be tied."

Megamind was enjoying himself. Maybe he'd have a little too much wine; he was feeling a little reckless. She was right, her feet were still tied.

"Well, why not? And just in case, you have any ideas, Ms. Ritchi, the room is locked, and can only be unlocked with the code spoken in my voice. And, I know you don't have a weapon this time."

"Of course, I'm unarmed, but how did you know?"

"I built a device, like your airport security people have, one of those scanners-"

"You saw me naked!" she cut him off. Even the reporter was shrieking along with the damsel now.

Confusion, puzzlement was on Megamind's face, followed by horror. "No, no, no! Not one of those-I'd read about the problem-no, no. My device is far superior. Only if a weapon, an explosive device, something of that nature, is detected, it shows up on a rough body outline. It doesn't show what, what, is underneath... the clothing-no-no."

Her racing heart started to slow. "Well, well, oh, all right then."

He stood up, shaking a little, and pushed the image that had started to come into his mind away. No, he was a gentleman. He looked her directly in the eye. He asked her, "You promise, promise me you won't try to get away, no funny business?" Roxanne nodded her head. He went behind her back and released her hands. He spun her to the side, and massaged her wrists. "Sorry, hope the restraints weren't too tight." The touch was doing it again, causing strange sensations in her chest. She wouldn't look him in the face. She didn't want him to see, what? She didn't even know herself what she was feeling. Finally, he set down across the table, picked up his glass, raised it, and suggested, "A toast."

"What are we toasting?" she queried.

"How about, possibilities?" Megamind responded.

"All right, to possibilities," she agreed. And they clinked glasses.

They slowly drank the bottle, Megamind refilling her glass whenever it was close to empty. She was trying to drink less than he, but found it hard to keep track. He was asking her questions, acting the reporter instead of her, asking about her childhood, her work, her travels. (He'd never been anywhere but Metro City and its outskirts; she shouldn't have been surprised.) When was the last time anyone had shown such an interest in her? She realized, to her astonishment, that she was actually enjoying herself. How much time had passed? She didn't know; there was no clock. Megamind was wearing a watch, but she couldn't see it from her angle.

All of a sudden, there was a voice emanating from a speaker in the console. "Sir? Are you all right in there, Sir?" Megamind looked startled, then mildly irritated. Glancing at his watch, he seemed surprised.

"Oh, Minion, you're back from all those errands I sent you on. I didn't realize how late it was." He turned toward the console. "It's fine, Minion, you can go to bed. I don't need you."

"But sir, have you eaten? I know you tend to forget to eat when you're busy." There was a pause, and a soft clicking noise. "Sir, do you know this door is locked? I have told you, over and over, you shouldn't lock the door when you're working in there. If something should happen, it would make it difficult for me to get in to save, er, help you."

Megamind was getting genuinely irritated now and turned toward the console. "I told you, Minion," he said sternly, "I don't need you. Go... away."

There was a war going on inside Roxanne's head. The part that had been enjoying herself wanted to stay quiet, wait for Minion to go away, and have Megamind's attention back on her, to see where this conversation, this evening would go. But the damsel and the reporter, they had other ideas. This was an opportunity. Her right hand grabbed the now empty wine bottle while Megamind's back was to her, and hit him on the head. "Minion!" she hollered.

"Ow!" Megamind exclaimed, leaning over, and then jumping up, putting his hands on his head. Minion's voice was frantic, asking what was wrong, was that Miss Ritchi in there with him, and demanding to be let in. Suddenly, Megamind had her right wrist in his left hand, and was putting his other arm around her waist, jerking her upright. He slammed her against the wall. No, that wasn't accurate, the reporter corrected. Yes, he pushed, pushed forcefully, but he didn't slam her, he didn't injure her. But the length of his body was pressed against hers, and each wrist was trapped by one of his hands. "Vixen!" he hissed in her ear. "Be quiet," he said sternly, but more softly. Raising his voice, Megamind stated "Nothing I can't handle, Minion. Go away."

"But, sir..."

More firmly, "Go... away."

Softly, "Yes, Sir."

In her head, Roxanne was chanting "_mistake, mistake, mistake_." With embarrassment, she realized her body was responding to the closeness, to the pressure. It was exciting her, arousing her. What was wrong with her? She was barely paying attention to the conversation between Megamind and Minion. There was silence; Minion had gone away, she thought. But then his voice, tentative, came over the intercom again.

"Sir. Should I make up the spare room for Miss Ritchi? Will she be spending the night? It's already rather late." And then, hope in Minion's voice, "Or would you like me to take her home?"

Megamind chuckled. Whispering in her ear, he asked, "Well, what do you think Miss Ritchi? Should Minion prepare the spare room for you? How late do you plan to stay?"

She could hear him, feel him, breathing fast and shallow. Would he really let her leave now? She dared to look at his eyes. "Do I have a choice?"

He was still pressing himself against her, her wrists still captured. Where was that bottle? She'd lost it somewhere before her back touched the wall, which the reporter observed was covered in a dark fabric. He placed his cheek against hers, just for a moment, and then lifted his head. "Hmmm…I think….not just yet. We still have issues to discuss." He raised his voice, and spoke to Minion. "All right, just in case, go prepare the spare room."

"Yes, sir," and she thought she could hear the sound of his footsteps receding.

Megamind murmured under his breath, "At least it'll make him leave. He likes having a task to perform. Helps him feel useful."

Directing his attention back to Roxanne, Megamind stated, "Now where were we, before you behaved so rudely?"

"I... don't remember."

"Fortunately, I do."

* * *

><p>AUTHOR NOTES:<p>

If you noticed, yes, I like to slip in quotes from favorite movies and books, applying them to new contexts.

I have heard that standup comedians say "Dying is easy; comedy is hard." And I know what is funny to one person can just sound stupid to another. If you have bothered to read this to the end, I hope you appreciated my efforts at humor. This is my first posting.

Phenixia has done me the great honor of drawing fan art inspired by this work of fanfiction. You can see it on the DeviantArt website by cutting and pasting the following and removing the extra spaces.

h t t p : / / browse . deviantart . com /#/d3drq91


	2. Telling Stories, Making Decisions

**Revenge**

(Do I really have to say this? I do not own Megamind in any way, have no financial stake in the movie or characters, and this story is just for fun. Thanks, DreamWorks, for letting us play in your sandbox.)

This update was done primarily to include a pseudo link to a work of fan art inspired by this story, although I also took the opportunity to correct some typing mistakes and other errors .

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2. Telling Stories, Making Decisions <strong>

It was instinctual to disarm and restrain his attacker; it was completed before he was fully aware of his anger at her betrayal. But the anger, when it came, was short lived. It was vaporized in the blazing heat of the sensations that arose as his body pressed against hers. The emotions he was experiencing were novel, exhilarating, although also unnerving, even terrifying. They were fascinating; he wanted to explore them further. What to do?

He had half expected her to try to escape when he first freed her hands. But when she had done nothing, and seemed to actually be enjoying their conversation as much as he, Megamind had relaxed his guard. The pain from the blow was nothing. But he was… disappointed that she had interrupted the flow of their very pleasant interaction. They could not return to that now. It wouldn't fit with the Plan. What would? He considered, and made a decision.

"Well, Miss Ritchi, you passed the test. I gave you an opportunity, and you showed… that you are... evil. YOU broke your promise." Swiftly, before she entirely realized what he was doing, he had her wrists tied together again, and he placed her back in the chair.

The damsel was freaking out again about being restrained, fearful of retaliation for the outburst. The reporter was frustrated because she couldn't get a handle on the situation. And Roxanne was feeling betrayed by her body, that seemed to like the way his blue fingers had caressed her skin, that was aroused by the pressure of his body against hers, causing bizarre, random thoughts, like wondering what his mouth would feel like. It was _all_ making her feel powerless, out of control, and she _hated_ that feeling. Now anger, that felt empowering. She was just looking for an outlet, some excuse to lash out at him, ignoring the damsel who was whispering, "_Don't make him angry again, I don't think he's too stable._" Hypocrite: it was partly the damsel's fault he had been angry a few minutes ago.

Finally, Megamind gave her an opening. He had gone back to circling her. It was unnerving. "I brought you here to talk about, among other issues, relationship possibilities-"

She cut him off. "What do you know about relationships, about any kind of relationship? Apparently the only "person" in your life is your fish servant."

"Minion isn't my servant, he's my friend."

"For a friend you sure treat him like a servant, ordering him around all the time. Did you make him in some weird science experiment?"

Suddenly he was in her face again, his own face hard and furious. "Never talk about Minion that way! You don't understand. Minion, Minion has been with me from the beginning; my parents gave him to me."

"You mean he's some sort of extraterrestrial pet?"

"NO, NO, NO! Stop interrupting and listen!" Megamind turned away from her, and was silent for a moment. When he revolved back, his face was impassive. "Minion is … my minion, my protector. I was only 8 days old when my parents sent us away to save us. Our planet was being drawn into a black hole. Minion has told me it is a tradition among my people to assign one of his kind as a type of protector to children. Usually, the parents wait until the child is older, but there was no choice with me, of course. The protector stays with the child at all times, to instruct the child, remind him of things he needs to learn, to care for him, and, well, protect him. I know he looks more like a fish than anything else to humans, but he's not really an animal, but another sapient, sentient species. My people have a kind of symbiotic relation with Minion's people. We help each other. He _is_ my friend." And almost inaudibly, "My only friend." She could see the softening occurring in his face as he spoke, an expression she had never observed before. She began to comprehend: Megamind truly loved Minion. This was an aspect of Megamind she had never considered- it was astonishing, mind-boggling. She had thought she understood him, from all that time spent with him as his hostage. Now, she was starting to doubt all her preconceptions of him.

Into the silence, Roxanne asked softly. "You… grew up in the local Prison for the Criminally Gifted, didn't you?"

He nodded. "I suppose you found that out with your nosy reporter skills."

She gave a short laugh. "It really wasn't that difficult. The old newspapers have been digitized. It's possible to search through them by key words in headlines. It only took a few weekends in the library, searching through the records. Once I started covering your, ah…. conflicts with Metro Man, it's just good journalism to learn as much back-story as you can. Years ago some reporter wrote an article after interviewing a few of the former prison guards and inmates. There wasn't much, little more than proof that you had been there since infancy."

He nodded again. But his face looked somewhat sad, maybe melancholy. "Do you remember much about your time there as a child?" Roxanne inquired.

"I remember everything." She gawked at him. "Big brain, remember," he said, tapping his forehead.

"That's amazing!"

He shrugged. It's just the way he had always been. Roxanne hesitantly asked, "Do you mind if I ask something else?" He looked a little uncomfortable, but shrugged again. "Did you have any…, well, friends growing up?"

Megamind looked down. "When I arrived, some of the prison inmates found my space pod in the exercise yard where it had crashed. I guess I was a novelty; their lives are pretty limited after all, and it is a prison for the 'criminally gifted.' They hid me, got me food, and played with me. Maybe some of them had children they couldn't be with, and I was a substitute. I don't know. A select circle of men called themselves my uncles; those were the ones that took care of me, taught me things. I suppose in a way they were friends, although not exactly, more like parent substitutes. Of course, finally the guards and the warden found out about me. It was never explained to me at the time, and it was only later, when I finally got out of there, that I began to wonder why they kept me. I just supposed it was because they couldn't find a foster family for a blue-skinned, big headed baby who was preternaturally precocious. I only know that, when I was a child, it was my home. And I always had Minion for company. As I started to get bigger, and was no longer a small child, most of my uncles lost interest in me, or they weren't around because they were released."

"That, that's so sad." Megamind told himself he didn't want pity, but Roxanne's sympathy felt…nice.

"So you never went to any type of school?" she asked, and was surprised to see his face close like a bank vault door.

He was quiet for a while, maybe a minute. Then he rose and, again, went to a drawer in the console. He removed a folder, and bought it over to her. He laid it in her lap, and released her hands again. "I was going to get rid of it, maybe burn it, but Minion insisted we keep it. I might want it someday, he said." She opened the folder and examined the photo inside. A class picture, the children all grouped around the teacher, all except one. A skinny, big headed blue-skinned boy in an orange prison jumpsuit, holding a fishbowl, so far off to the side he was almost out of the frame. "That pretty much says it all. I didn't go long. It…. was not a good experience." He took the photo and the folder from her hands, placing them back in the drawer. She didn't have to ask to know he would say no more about this, not tonight.

She glanced at his face again; he looked, what, beaten down maybe? Is that how he felt growing up, constantly rejected, the outcast? Suddenly another connection was made in her head. That's why he was so sensitive about his appearance, his presentation, his public persona. That's why….

She reached her hands out to him. He looked confused, wary, but he took them in his own. Her eyes were starting to water, and there was a catch in her throat. "Do you want to hear me say it? I'll say it. Here it is, from the deepest part of my heart: I am sorry." His expression was puzzled. "For my ...stupid stunt. Well, you sort of deserved the gun and the tying up part for all of my social plans you messed up. But I am really, really sorry for the broadcasting part. That _was _cruel."

There was a battle going on in his face; she couldn't decipher it. Finally he said, "Apology accepted, under one condition." Now she was the one who was wary.

(The damsel whispered from the closet, _"It's a trap_." She shushed her.) "What's the condition?" Roxanne asked.

"That we talk about relationship possibilities."

"Well,… alright, but could we deal with something else first?"

He looked impatient, but said, "What's so important it can't wait?"

Well, now she had a genuine reason, a truthful reason for asking to be released. "You know, Megamind, it has been hours, and I have consumed water, and I don't know how much wine. It does tend to have a certain effect on a person."

He appeared perplexed; then her meaning dawned on him. He looked slightly embarrassed. "Oh. Right. Well, I did prepare for everything." He rolled her chair over to different corner of the room. He touched something on the wall that was imperceptible to her, but a door opened. Releasing her feet from the restraints, he made a little motion. "Well, go on, there's nothing in there you can use to escape. Even MacGyver, well, never mind. Go on."

She walked into the little room, and a light instantly came on. She shut the door and looked around. Everything was black, the floor, the walls the ceiling, all the fixtures, except for the chrome faucet and the lever on the toilet. There was a mirror over the sink. She couldn't help herself; she brushed her hands through her hair, trying to improve her appearance. She wished she had her purse, so she could touch up her makeup, and she chided herself for the thought. She did look tired, but she didn't feel sleepy. She was wired; she didn't think she could've slept even if he _had_ let her go home. Well, she did have a reason for being here, and took care of it, trying not to think about the fact that he was on the other side of the door.

* * *

><p>While she was 'busy,' Megamind worried about his next step. Now he was having second thoughts about sharing so much of his history. It made him feel vulnerable somehow, although Roxanne's reaction had been most satisfactory. It actually had gone much better than he had expected. But he had to decide quickly what his next move would be. Surely she would be out soon.<p>

If she thought he would not restrain her again afterwards, she was mistaken. Rolling her back to the spotlight area, he engaged the locking mechanism that apparently kept the chair from moving. Walking in circles around her again, Megamind began, "I brought you here to talk about possibilities, options if you will."

Roxanne interrupted him, she couldn't help herself. "Earlier you said I was evil, or a part of me anyway. What do you mean, evil? What does it mean to you if you see me as having a part that is evil?"

"I told you, that you have more in common with me than either of us would've recognized before. But don't distract me from my point. When you kidnapped me, or I should say captured, since you didn't actually move me from my location, you showed me that you wanted our relationship to be more like that of equals. But I wondered, months ago, what kind of equal relationship could you possibly want? Did you want to be my rival, like Metro Man and I are rivals? Ridiculous, I discarded that idea instantly. You have no apparent super powers, and excuse me if it tweaks your feelings, although you are very bright for a human, your intelligence is no match for my genius." (He was starting to monologue; she'd seen this before. She remained quiet. It could be interesting.) "So what other type of equality could we have? And then it came to me: you wanted to be my partner." (She had to clench her jaw to keep it from dropping.) He continued, "But in what way a partner? Did you want to participate willingly in the kidnapping, plan the nature and timing of them, even help me in my rivalry against Metro Man?" (Her head was starting to spin.) "Or did you want to be, what is the expression, Bonnie to my Claude? Thought it would be thrilling to rob a few banks, hmmm? Not really my thing, but I suppose I could try if you really wanted. Minion could design an outfit for you; it's sort of a hobby for him. He's really quite a good tailor. I'm sure you would look fabulous in a cape. Something in blue and black to coordinate with me, perhaps? Although, you do look stunning in purple. What do you think would be good colors for you?" He looked pointedly at her, awaiting her answer. Sometime during this speech, he had stopped circling, standing in front of her and rocking on his feet.

She didn't know whether to laugh, cry, or run screaming from the room. Hmm, last one's not an option: locked door. She gulped, and considered her reply. "Ah, participating in a life of crime is not really what I had in mind- no offense!"

"None taken. So, enlighten me, Miss Ritchi, in what sort of equal relationship with me are you interested?" He looked at her, his bright green eyes wide, innocent.

Her reporter's sense was tingling. Roxanne had a hunch that they were finally getting to the purpose of this strange evening. Megamind wanted something from her, why else the elaborate scheme? He had taken months to set this up. It was connected to her "stunt" somehow, but she couldn't figure out his intention. She had a feeling she was missing something, maybe something obvious, but she was sooo tired, and she definitely had had too much to drink earlier. It had been an 'entertaining' and 'informative' evening, but she was suddenly ready to end it. Let's finish this, she decided. He's clearly angling for her to say something in particular. She tried to recall the events of the evening. Except for the fact that she had been kidnapped and tied up for a good part of the evening, it had been very much like a first date. He'd set the mood with soft lighting, provided drinks and food, asked her questions about herself, tried to get to know her. (Let's not think too hard about how he had tried to get to know her during the last three months without her knowledge.) He'd complimented her appearance, and, ahem, clearly had an interest in and reaction to touching her physically. (Let's not think too hard about her own reactions to his touches.)

Suddenly, it hit her- it took her breath away. Maybe, maybe, her little stunt had caused him to look at her differently: She had overpowered him though trickery, with her mind. She was not a helpless victim, not just a tool to get to Metro Man. Megamind could not compete with Metro Man with physical strength; he used the power of his genius. He had more respect for mental faculties. So now, maybe he had developed more respect for her mind. And he seemed attracted to her physically. He kept insisting she had demonstrated that she wanted a relationship with him, but maybe it was Megamind who wanted a personal relationship, a romantic relationship, with her. She had been thinking about her own loneliness earlier this evening. Perhaps he was lonely also. What kind of social life could he have, a famous villain, a famous _alien_ villain, with no one but a fish (albeit an intelligent one) for a friend. But he was proud, and she had humiliated him. He had made himself vulnerable to her tonight, in ways he probably had never done before with anyone. He couldn't bring it up directly himself; he wanted, needed her to make the first move.

She looked him in the eyes again. He was still waiting, silent, patient, his green eyes on her. Was there pleading in those eyes? _"Alright,_" she thought, _ "let's see what happens. Let's try this."_

"Well, there are different types of equal relationships. There are work colleagues-"

He cut her off. "You already said you didn't want to share my work. Oh, unless you harbor a secret desire to be an inventor, and you wish involvement with my creations."

"No, no, I'm not really mechanical. Words are more my things. But I was saying, other equal relationships include friendship and… and dating."

"And in which of these are you interested, Miss Ritchi?" His voice was casual, nonchalant, but she thought she saw something in his eyes, like he was willing her to give the right answer. She was pretty sure she knew what answer he wanted.

She could lie, just to get this over with, but she would rather tell the truth; lies have a tendency to come back to bite you later. But what was the truth? She considered her feelings, her reactions to him over the course of the evening. "_I must be crazy_," she thought, "_or maybe I'm drunk, or it's sleep deprivation, or some combination._" She tried to be honest with herself. She wasn't certain what it was, but clearly something in her was responding to something in him. She plunged on.

"I'm not sure what I want. My feelings toward you are… confused, confusing. But the idea of dating you is … intriguing." She paused. "Yes, I would be interested in dating you, to see what happens." She looked him in the eyes, which she had been avoiding through the last few sentences. Yes, she could see it: he was pleased, even triumphant. She bet he thought he had cleverly maneuvered her, and was congratulating himself on his genius. _"Well_," she thought ruefully, "_maybe he has."_

"Good, it's decided. But, you don't have to make a long commitment; we could just try it for a while, maybe three months?" She nodded. Then he paused, and looked at her with those green eyes, hesitant, pleading. "Are you sure? Do I…. really appeal to you?"

"I ….find you interesting, and kind of attractive in a way… I can't even begin to explain."

He knelt before her and undid the ties around her feet first, lingering longer than was really necessary as he touched her ankles. "I'm sorry; I should have taken these off a while ago. I was so enthralled with our conversation; I guess I forgot." After releasing her hands, he helped her to her feet. Looking down, he asked, "Shall I get Minion to take you home?"

"No," she replied, and, before he could mistake her meaning, asked in return, "Could you take me home?" He smiled.

"Would you prefer to go in the car or on the hoverbike?" When she hesitated, he rushed in, "I would recommend the hoverbike. It has a new invisibility shield like the car, and I could drop you off on your balcony. No wondering looks from the doorman about your late arrival home."

It was clearly what he wanted to do. "Sure, sounds like fun. I've never been on the hoverbike before."

Megamind thought to himself, "_Never while conscious anyway._"

He started to move toward the door, and then stopped. Turning to her, he looked cautiously into her face. "Before we go, may I ask you one more thing?" He appeared uncomfortable, nervous. It puzzled her.

She replied, "Sure."

He was silent for a moment longer, hesitating. Then he blurted out, "May I kiss you?" and he blushed.

She wavered, than thought to herself, "_Oh, why not? Look at it as an experiment_." For an answer, she leaned toward him, and placed her lips softly against his.

There were no words to describe the sensation Megamind was feeling. He was soaring, he was falling. It was fantastic. He didn't want to stop, and embracing Roxanne tightly, he started to deepen the kiss. Roxanne wasn't resisting at all, but Megamind mentally shook himself. Better to stop before he pushed past her comfort level. He didn't want to end on a negative note. He pulled away gently. Her eyes opened; she looked dazed. He turned away, went to another section of the wall, and pressed an invisible trigger. Another door popped open, and from within Megamind extracted her jacket and purse. He had not wanted to leave anything outside the room for Minion to find. "Here are your things. Um, the hoverbike is this way." Without answering, Roxanne began to follow him to the door.

"Oh, and, just so you know, I change the code to this room every day." He recited a string of letters and numbers that she probably wouldn't be able to remember anyway. The door swung open and they exited the room.

* * *

><p>As they walked, Roxanne commented, "Did you... re- decorate? I recognize bits and pieces, but the place doesn't seem the same at all."<p>

He replied, "After our last encounter, Minion and I had to move everything in the Lair to a new location." He hesitated, then said, "The…. last time you were in the Lair, you left on your own, so I didn't know whether you might let the authorities know where I was. I had no interest in going back to prison at the time."

"Oh, right, that makes sense." An awkward silence descended.

When they arrived at the hoverbike, he stowed her purse in a compartment. Turning to her, he removed his cape. "With the wind chill factor, I think you'll be warmer wearing this." Tossing it around her shoulders, he fastened the clasp. "Raise your arms," he directed her. He swiftly wrapped the trailing fabric around her, then lifted her by the waist and placed her sideways on the seat. He did it quickly, like he had done it before, and a nagging suspicion started to arise in the back of Roxanne's mind. But she decided to say nothing, for now. After securing her with a belt to the backrest, he picked up what looked like a motorcycle helmet and looked her tentatively in the face. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to require that you wear this."

"I don't mind wearing a helmet if you think it's necessary. It's not unusual for people to wear helmets when riding regular motorcycles."

"This is more than a regular safety helmet. When I press a specific button, the front visor will darken, and there will be a sound muffling field. You will not be able to see or hear for approximately 10 minutes. You currently do not know where we are located, and it's going to stay that way for now. I'm sorry. This may seem to contradict... things I've indicated to you earlier this evening. But this… new relationship... that we are exploring... is, well, new." He paused. "Will this change your attitude about... dating me?"

Roxanne thought for a moment, then replied, "It's rather unusual for a dating relationship, but given our unique circumstance, I guess I can understand it for the time being. But, if I don't know where you live, how am I supposed to contact you? Two-way communication is fairly typical when one is dating. I don't suppose you have a phone?"

"Not yet, but I will remedy that tomorrow."

"I'll give you my number."

"Oh, I already have that. I'll call you when I have my phone. So, are you ready to go?"

"Yes."

He secured her helmet, and suggested she put her arms around his torso before he initiated the security field. "Minion said it was rather disconcerting when I tried it on him. Having at least the sensation of touch is reassuring when you don't have sight or sound. The safety harness will secure you to the bike whether you hold onto me or not, so don't worry if for any reason you release your grip on me. Are you ready?"

"I suppose so; go ahead." Within a moment, she was plunged into darkness and total quiet. Almost instantly afterward, she could sense the vibration of the hover bike, and knew Megamind had engaged the motor. It was reassuring to have her arms around his chest, to feel the texture of his outfit, but it was strange to not be able to hear the hoverbike, which had to be making some kind of sound. She could feel the air began to rush past her body, and detected when it became colder and faster, suggesting they were now in the air above the building, wherever it was. Even with the helmet on, she could detect the barest whiff of his fragrance. She was surprised that she found that reassuring also. In the silence and the darkness she began to review some of the events of the evening, but she was so tired, the memories seemed to break into little pieces and jumble in her mind.

She had the sensation she was beginning to drift to sleep, when the face plate cleared, and sound returned. She could see the lights of the city buildings beneath her, and gave a little gasp. She tightened her arms around Megamind even more, and he turned back to say to her, "Are you all right?"

"Fine, just got my vision and hearing back. The view is amazing. And the bike is surprisingly quiet."

"Yes, well, we are going at a fairly slow speed, for the hoverbike anyway, and the invisibility shield can't serve its function as well if the bike makes so much noise that it attracts attention."

They rode in silence the rest of the way, and landed with only the barest bump on her balcony. After removing her helmet, releasing her harness, and helping her down from the bike, they stood in silence for a moment. "You should take your cape back. I'm not sure how to unfasten the clasp," Roxanne stated.

As Megamind put his hands up to her throat to do as she suggested, the urge to kiss her again almost overwhelmed him. With the helmet off, Roxanne noticed his fragrance was more easily detected, stronger. The thought came to her that, after what had been a kind of bizarre first date, Megamind might want to kiss her goodbye. But what did she want, and what message did she want to give him? As Megamind put his cape back around his own shoulders and fastened it, she made her decision.

"So when can I expect my next kidnapping?" She smiled to let him know she was teasing.

"No more kidnapping. Not unless you specifically ask for it. No, I will try to do what is more traditional: I will ask you when you are willing to see me. Of course," and then he smiled, "You used to complain about me being predictable. Is traditional predictable?"

"Nothing about this evening was predictable. I don't think you're capable of being predictable in this particular situation."

"So, I know you have plans for tomorrow, or perhaps I should say, this evening. May I see you Sunday evening?"

"Why then?"

"I had made no plans beyond today. But you are still the focus of all my attentions. I admit I am eager to see what happens next in our .…relationship. Ahh... but I don't mean to rush you. Of course, just because you have nothing written in your appointment book, doesn't mean you're ready to see me. I understand-"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Yes, Sunday evening would be fine. What time, and what would you like to do?"

"I... will... call you." After another pause, "You must be tired. I will leave you. Goodnight."

As he turned back to his bike, Roxanne put a hand on his shoulder. As he looked from her hand to her face, puzzlement in his expression, Roxanne leaned toward him and gently kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight," she whispered, then quickly went through the door into her apartment.

* * *

><p>He had made the trip to Roxanne's apartment slowly, delaying their separation as long as possible. But, as soon as she was no longer visible through the glass doors, he was eager to return to the Lair as quickly as the bike could go. The Plan had gone better than he had ever imagined was possible, and some of Roxanne's reactions had occurred as if she was following a script he had written. But some events had been totally unexpected, and fulfilled dreams he didn't even know he had. He was flying high on more than alcohol and the hoverbike. But he was rather obsessive about his Plans. Once they had been devised, he had trouble letting them go until their completion. He had to get back to the Lair to finish the Plan, even if he would never use the result.<p>

* * *

><p>Roxanne was so tired she expected to fall asleep instantly, as soon as she dropped into bed. Instead, the reporter kept trying to piece things together. Had the bizarre evening all been his effort to get her to go out with him? Or had his intention been to do something else entirely, and somehow changed through the course of the evening? What about the fact that he hadn't committed any type of crime, any attacks on Metro Man in the last three months? What did it all mean?<p>

And then there was the whole issue of her agreeing to go out with him for, what had he said? A three-month trial period? A good part of her still marveled that she was even considering this, that she had told him she was willing to try it. She finally had admitted to herself that she was attracted to him. What was that all about? Was it merely about being lonely, and there being "no good men" available? And how could she even consider going out with him if he would go back to some type of criminal activity? Oh heavens, she hoped he wouldn't expect her to go along with being bait for Metro Man again. She thought she'd make that clear. Well, they certainly had a lot to talk about. She tried to clear her mind so she could sleep.

* * *

><p>As he was putting the hoverbike back in its location in the Lair, Megamind saw Minion waiting for him. He sighed. He really didn't want to deal with this now. Perhaps a short version of the truth would forestall a lengthy conversation.<p>

"I thought you would be in bed by now, Minion."

"Sir, what have you been doing with Ms. Ritchi all evening?"

"We talked, ate dessert, drank some wine, and she agreed to date me. Oh, by the way, she liked your brownies. I'm not going to say anymore about it right now. And when I get up, I will need the car to go shopping for a cell phone. I'm going to my room now. Goodnight, Minion."

Megamind walked away swiftly, leaving Minion gaping in his wake. He initially headed in the direction of his sleeping quarters, but when safely out of Minion's sight, went back to the interrogation room. He knew he should be getting some sleep; he knew that's what Minion would say. But he wouldn't be able to sleep until he at least had an initial examination of the recordings. There were multiple angles, but by viewing them all simultaneously, it went much more quickly. The first time through his focus was on Roxanne, her expressions, her words, the gestures. The Plan had not had one goal, but multiple. In the heat of his initial anger, revenge and retribution had been the focus. Figuring out how to do that was the tricky part. At first, humiliation had been the idea: maneuvering her into a position to say or do something embarrassing, maybe even threatening her career. Then he thought of blackmail, not so much a public humiliation, as putting her into his power more fully than the kidnappings had ever done. To control her through blackmail, even Metro Man could not rescue her then.

So he spent a lot of time studying human psychology, reading things on human needs and wants, trying to understand her so he could manipulate her. There was a lot of surveillance, usually with the spybots, but sometimes in person, using his disguises, or the invisibility shield. He didn't even need to tap her phone, when the spybots were around her constantly. But the more time he spent watching her, listening to her, the less anger he felt. He reconnected with the warm feelings he had toward her while they bantered playfully during the kidnappings. And maybe it was because his species was not so different from humans, or maybe it was because he'd spent almost all his life living among them, but studying human psychology helped him to understand himself. Eventually he realized he'd stopped wanting to have revenge on Roxanne; what he wanted was…. her. But he found it hard to believe that she would ever feel that way toward him. So he gave up on the goal of retribution and humiliation, and focused instead on either controlling her, or courting her. He didn't have high hopes for the latter, but could not quite give up the idea of learning how to do it. He had tried reading romance stories for inspiration, and did gain a few ideas, but most of them were too disturbing to finish.

Reviewing the tapes, he figured he had some things that, with careful editing, he could use for blackmail, if she eventually turned her back on him and the whole dating experiment did not succeed. But he found he didn't have a lot of enthusiasm for the idea anymore. It made him very uncomfortable to think of using the recordings that way. He even thought that perhaps it would be best to just erase them, to remove the temptation, as well as the evidence. He squirmed to think of how Roxanne might react if she knew he had recorded their entire evening together. But if things between them did not work out, these recordings might be all he would have left of his time with her. He watched the recording of their kiss six times. That part at least he would keep. He locked the recordings in a vault that he was sure no one could open. Being thorough, it even had a destruct sequence that he could trigger remotely if he wanted to eliminate the evidence later. He would put this all behind him. It was an impossible goal, but when had that ever stopped him from trying? His new focus, his entire focus, would now be on courting Roxanne, persuading her to love him the way he now knew he loved her.

* * *

><p><strong>AUTHOR NOTES:<strong>

I have heard that standup comedians say "Dying is easy; comedy is hard." And I know what is funny to one person can just sound stupid to another. If you have bothered to read this to the end, I hope you appreciated my efforts at humor.

One style of humor my family enjoys is quoting lines from movies and books, applying them to new contexts. Bonus points if you detected the quotes, or variations on quotes, from Star Wars, The Twilight series, The Incredibles, and a subtle one from Star Trek (TOS), plus the use of the name of an antispyware program. There's also a line that frequently occurs in the Miles Vorkosigan series (one of my favorite sci-fi series), but I expect few people to get that obscure reference.

In case there is a question in any reader's mind, I had absolutely no intention of suggesting that Roxanne suffered from Multiple Personality Disorder (or, as the psychiatric community now insists on calling it, Dissociative Identity Disorder). It was merely meant to be a humorous way of detailing the different aspects of her personality, moods, or thoughts.

This was initially intended to be a one shot, ending here. But, as I worked, I kept coming up with more ideas. I am now working on a trilogy.

I have composed fanfiction since I was a teenager, but only in the form of little movies I created in my head, based on my favorite TV shows, movies, and books. This is the first time I have EVER written one down. I hope I have given some people pleasure through this story, as I have enjoyed for years reading others' fanfiction stories.

**If you liked this, reviews/ feedback would be appreciated.** If you have questions about the story, feel free to send me a personal message. I'll explain anything that isn't a spoiler for the sequels.

Phenixia has done me the great honor of drawing fan art inspired by this work of fanfiction. You can see it on the DeviantArt website by cutting and pasting the following and removing the extra spaces.

h t t p : / / browse . deviantart . com /#/d3drq91


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